Of Virtue has officially returned for 2026 with the release of their highly anticipated single, “Death of the Altar,” after teasing the song on their socials for the better half of January. While the Michigan metalcore outfit has featured on songs with other groups over the past few years, the single marks their first new release since their 2023 album, Omen, and it is a fiery start to the year. 

The track, cowritten alongside Lee Albrecht (Bilmuri, The Devil Wears Prada, etc.) and Evan McKeever (Starset, Koe Wetzel), is packed with intense instrumentals — from the searing guitar riffs and punchy breakdowns, to the more subtle industrial-sounding layers and a moment that pulls the grittiness back and offers the slightest hint of something orchestral. Emotionally cutting lyrics are performed in the blend of smooth and harsh vocals characteristic of the metalcore genre, and not only channel the musicality and rawness of the songs from Omen, but build further upon them, demonstrating the band’s evolution while solidifying the identity that Of Virtue has created for themselves as a group set on using their music to destigmatize topics like mental health struggles and addiction. 

“Death of the Altar” carries those themes from the screen in the accompanying music video, directed by Blackwolf Imaging and Levine Pictures.

The video uses rain-filled, ritualistic imagery in conjunction with the religious language of the lyrics to bring the song’s meaning to life. The video depicts the members grappling with what happens when devotion goes too far, exploiting a person’s desires until they no longer even think about what they’re willing to sacrifice — nor about the consequences — for things that will only harm them in the long run. 

When talking about the track and the band’s reemergence, guitarist and vocalist Damon Tate explains, “We trade our health, clarity, and connection for things that never truly love us back on a daily basis. More often than not, we don’t recognize the consequences of our choices/actions until it’s too late. The guilt sets in, and we set out to self-soothe, compounding these negative emotions with even worse decisions, losing more of ourselves in the process. This song is our open admission that we as human beings are both worshipper and offering. Death of the Altar is a stark metaphor for how chasing these ephemeral moments exploits our need for meaning, belonging, and connection in this world.”

Tate’s candidness reinforces the value that Of Virtue places on authenticity and vulnerability, carving out a space in the metalcore scene where they can stay true to their artistry while pushing the bounds of the genre.

The band uses their music and the platform they have built from it to advocate for mental health awareness, speaking about their own struggles and recoveries and the importance of being open and honest, something that has resonated with many of their fans who have had similar experiences and felt seen by their music. 

As they step into 2026, “Death of the Altar” is the band’s opening of a new chapter, in which they carry the spirit of 2023’s Omen with them as a way of showing that the challenges they have faced and the decisions they have made as a result are always going to be part of them — but they will not be what defines them.